Revs 1, D.C. United 0

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rookie midfielder Stephen McCarthy scored the only goal of the game in the 73rd minute and veteran goalkeeper Matt Reis made six critical saves as the New England Revolution snapped a nine-game winless run with a 1-0 victory over D.C. United on Wednesday night at RFK Stadium.

It was the Revs’ (4-9-7, 19 pts.) first win since a 1-0 victory over Vancouver Whitecaps FC on May 14, while it was their first triumph away from home in 2011 after going 0-6-3 in nine previous road games. The loss snapped a five-game unbeaten streak for United (5-6-8, 23 pts.).

McCarthy notched his second goal of the season midway through the second half, rising above his defender inside the box to deftly head home Chris Tierney’s service from the corner. Charlie Davies missed a penalty kick for United in the 44th minute.

Head coach Steve Nicol deployed a 4-3-3 formation for the first time since May 7 and instituted four changes to the side which suffered a 3-0 loss to the Philadelphia Union last Sunday night. Captain Shalrie Joseph and veteran defender Ryan Cochrane returned from suspension to take their usual places in the starting lineup, while Zak Boggs and Zack Schilawski entered to partner Rajko Lekic in the three-man forward line.

Benny Feilhaber was unavailable while serving a mandatory one-game suspension after being issued a red card against Philadelphia, while 16-year-old Home Grown Player Diego Fagundez made the bench for the first time in a regular-season match.

The Revs survived an early scare when Andy Najar’s right-wing cross almost found Dwayne De Rosario for a simple finish in the third minute, but the ball was just out of De Rosario’s reach as he lunged at the six-yard box. The recently-acquired Canadian went close again in the 16th minute, blazing a 20-yard effort just high of the upper right corner.

D.C. continued to press and Reis came up with a pair of big saves to deny Davies in the 17th minute and De Rosario in the 18th minute. Four minutes later, Cochrane limped off with a left foot injury and was replaced in central defense by Darrius Barnes.

Boggs had the Revolution’s best chance of the first half in the 32nd minute, drilling a 25-yard rocket straight at United goalkeeper Bill Hamid, who firmly punched the shot away.

The hosts had a golden chance to grab the lead just before the halftime break when Pat Phelan handled inside the box and referee Michael Kennedy pointed to the spot, but Davies skied his effort over the crossbar and the teams went into halftime scoreless.

Schilawski went close for the rejuvenated Revs in the 64th minute, just missing the mark on a close-range header following McCarthy’s service from the right channel. It was essentially Schilawski’s final involvement in the game as the second-year forward was replaced by Kenny Mansally four minutes later.

De Rosario continued to be the danger man for D.C., sliding a shot inches wide of the right post in the 70th minute, while Lekic fired over the crossbar at the other end with a header following Tierney’s free kick in the 72nd minute.

Tierney’s set-piece service ultimately provided the breakthrough in the 73rd minute as McCarthy put the Revolution ahead with a perfectly placed header. Sliding across his defender eight yards from goal, McCarthy met Tierney’s corner kick and expertly guided a flashing header inside the far post.

Reis was called into action twice more to preserve the shutout and the victory, standing tall on efforts from De Rosario in the 82nd minute and Joseph Ngwenya just as the game entered stoppage time.

The Revs will now head from Washington, D.C., directly to Commerce City, Colo., where they’ll visit the defending MLS Cup champion Colorado Rapids on Saturday, July 23. Kickoff from Dick’s Sporting Goods Park is set for 9 p.m. ET.

The win put an end to the team’s nine-game winless streak, which had tied a club record with three other runs (1997, 1998, 2003)

The win snapped the Revs’ 10-game road losing streak, which dates back to the final game of the 2010 season at New York … the Revs came into tonight’s game with a 0-6-3 record in 2011 on the road … the team is now 1-6-3 on the road this year

With the win, the Revs improved to 23-25-8 all-time against D.C., including a 8-16-4 mark on the road

The win also extended the Revs’ winning streak against United to five games, dating back to May 2009

This is the third straight season in which the Revs won the season series against United, after going 1-0-1 against D.C. in 2009 and 2-0-0 in 2010

Tonight’s game was the 56th league meeting between the two teams, and the 63rd overall meeting including MLS Cup Playoffs and U.S. Open Cup

The Revs ran out a 4-3-3 lineup to start the game after putting out a 4-4-2 in their last game … the last time the team dispensed a 4-3-3 was May 7 against Colorado

Shalrie Joseph and Ryan Cochrane returned to the lineup after sitting out Sunday’s game against Philadelphia while serving suspensions … Cochrane was serving a red-card suspension, while Joseph was serving a yellow-card accumulation suspension

Zack Schilawski made his first start since April 30, 2011, a 3-0 loss at Chivas USA

Diego Fagundez, who is the Revs’ first Home Grown player after signing last November, made his first-ever appearance on the 18-man squad in an MLS game … tonight’s game marked the first time he has dressed with the first team in a league match … he has previously made appearances in both of the

Revs’ U.S. Open Cup Play-In matches, and six Reserve League games (one goal, four assists)

Ryan Cochrane came off in the 22nd minute with a left foot injury … he entered the game listed as probable on the team’s Tuesday injury report with left foot pain

Stephen McCarthy’s goal was his second of the season and the second of his career … it was his first goal since he struck for his first MLS goal on April 2 at Gillette Stadium

Chris Tierney recorded his second assist of the season on McCarthy’s goal … Tierney’s assist is his first off a set piece in 2011 … Tierney’s assist was the ninth of his career

Tonight marked the third time in the last four meetings against D.C. that Chris Tierney has recorded the game-winning assist

The Revs – and goalkeeper Matt Reis – recorded their fourth shutout of the season … it was the team’s first shutout since a 0-0 match on June 15 against Toronto FC at Gillette Stadium

The shutout was Reis’ 63rd career shutout and his 54th with the Revolution … this was Reis’ fifth career shutout against United